My pleasantly weird time with Plato and Aristotle has come to an end. Thanks to them, I learned much more about ‘Citadel Castrum,’ and where I can rest my head for tonight.
To keep things short, Citadel Castrum is the capital of Limbo and the only city in the whole realm. Unfortunately for me, the city has no modern amenities as it was founded sometime during the Roman era, and everyone has been too lazy to change it. Plus, things like science and the progression of technology aren’t really possible in a place with absolutely no resources (Wait… so how was this place built?).
Nevertheless, it’s a nice place. The never-ending fog has been replaced with a misty grey sky that is slightly darker than earlier. The roads are nicely paved with white marble, and the buildings are akin to those found in the old towns of Greece; picturesque sun-dried mud-brick structures that scream Mediterranean.
I can definitely get used to this.
After walking down the winding narrow streets and getting clearer instructions from some of the few city inhabitants around, I finally arrived at Somnus, the inn Aristotle told me about.
“Newcomers are allowed seven days free at the inn until they find a place to stay,” he had said while taking a puff from his spliff.
The inn is quite small and mediocre. It looks like the rest of the buildings here, just with a makeshift wooden sign that says ‘Somnus’ next to its decaying mailbox. Not only that, but it's in quite a sketchy back alleyway away from the main street (I missed it my first time and had to ask some people).
Although I’m concerned about my safety, I don’t really have any other options right now. And, if you consider everything that I’ve gone through so far, it’d be nice to have a place just to sit back and relax.
Alrighty then.
No use standing out here and looking stupid. I mustered all my courage and pried the door open, where a clay welcome desk with a little girl sat looking at me. She had a blonde pixie cut with green eyes and wore an all-yellow suit. I could see two of her little teeth jutting out of her mouth. She looks like a chipmunk.
“Oh!” she chirped as I entered. “Welcome to Somnus! Welcome, Welcome, Welcome! You’re definitely a new face around here! I’ve never seen you before!”
“Hi there, my name is Shi,” I replied. I took a moment to look around the interior, which was much nicer than I expected it to be. “Hey, by any chance, do you run this place? I’m looking to book a room for the night.”
She raised both her hands excitedly.
“Yup, yup, yup! Sola is at your service here!” She quickly paused, pointing an accusing finger at me as she pouted. “Hey! Next time ask for my name before you ask for a favour!”
“Sorry,” I chuckled, putting my hands together. “So, could I get a room?”
“Well,” she frowned. “It’s quite late, so all of the rooms have been booked now.”
Shoot, is that so? That explains why so few people were out. I guess nighttime works differently than on Earth due to the fog. I crossed my arms and began to think… what am I going to do now?
“But,” she spoke again, twiddling with her fingers. “You look new, and I feel bad, so you could stay with me if you’d like.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, my room is not that big, but you can make yourself at home there. It's down the hall and to the right underneath that staircase. There is also a bath on the other side that you can use if you’d like.”
I instantly bowed and clasped my hands together.
“Thank you, Pixie-chan!”
A perplexed expression graced her face as her cheeks turned red.
“Pixie? Chan? My name is Sola. And no problem. I have to stay here for a few more hours, so you can go get comfortable first. Rest well!”
My head soaked underneath the warm water of the bath as I allowed the soothing sensation to envelop me.
“Man,” I sighed, watching the bubbles form. “Who knew they’d have such a relaxing mini Onsen here in hell?”
I guess the Romans were known for enjoying their baths~!
But honestly, this kind of luxury for zero dollars? You’ve got to be kidding me. The bath is surrounded by some delightful artistic patterns, while the white walls are decorated with warm yellow lights that truly create a soothing atmosphere. I could even fall asleep here with how relaxing it is!
…
I spent another twenty minutes in the bath. In the end, I had no choice but to come out as my fingers and toes were beginning to look a lot like Plato’s. I quickly wiped myself off with the towels provided and headed to Pixie-chan’s room.
It was quite nice inside. There was a single pink double bed tucked neatly in the corner that housed an abundance of plush animals. Off to the side, on a little rug, was a mini toy dining table set with teacups smaller than my fists. For the most part, it’s a typical little girl's room.
Hmmm, would I be allowed to sleep on the bed? Or should I just sleep on the ground?
There are too many plushies for me to just throw them all off. Plus, I don’t know if she’ll get upset if I mess up the layout of her room… maybe I should wait? I sat cross-legged on the ground and crossed my arms. I’m quite patient, and it probably won’t take too long, so I don’t mind at all.
But that bed looks so comfy…
I couldn’t resist. I made my way over and sunk into the cloud-like mattress, kicking my feet in the air as I let out a few childish giggles. In my little flurry, I ended up hitting one of the plushies over. I picked it up and examined it. Somewhat ironically, it was a chipmunk.
The door swung open, catching me completely off guard.
“Hey! Did you start playing without me?”
In came Pixie-chan, who ran excitedly over to the bed. She jumped up and down on the floor, patting the mattress excessively. Her eyes were filled with enthusiasm.
“Ah!” she exclaimed. “Looks like you’ve met Hubert Savanche!”
“Hubert?” I looked at the chipmunk (Is a tear forming in its eye?). “Is that his name?”
She nodded.
What?? Why isn’t his name something cuter like Acorn?
“And this one!” she spoke again, picking up a plush penguin. “Is Donavan Glouchester!”
Again!? Don’t tell me they all have weird names…. They do.
I got a long introduction to each and every one of her ‘family members’ (there are ten of them in total). I learned about the family dynamic, all the break ups and ‘tea’ and how Mr. Glouchester is a hopeless romantic. I mean, hear me out, how could Barbara Weinstein choose Duncan Humberback when she knew Donovan was still putting together his magnum opus?? It was definitely going to be about her! She should have waited for him to finish!
Wait… what am I doing right now?
Reality just set in.
Why am I playing with toys in a little girl's room that I don’t know? I graduated high school, gosh damn it!
“Uhm, Sola?” I placed down Sylvester Croissant as I felt my face go cold. “I have a busy day tomorrow, so can we stop playing here?”
She was about to make Duncan and Barbara kiss which I didn’t want to see either. She placed the plushies down as her eyes dropped towards the mattress. I couldn’t see her face.
“Yea, of course…” she muttered, clenching the comforter. “Sorry, I forgot that you are new here, so you probably have more important things to do, like get comfortable and more familiar with this place, right? It was really insensitive of me not to consider that…”
Her body began to tremble.
Shoot, is she crying?
“No, it wasn’t at all! I had fun, really!”
She lifted her head. To my surprise, there was a bright smile on her face, with no hints of tears whatsoever. My heart began to ache for some reason.
“Then,” she let out a small laugh. “Can we play together a little bit while you’re here?”
“Of course!” I replied. And I meant it.
Sola jumped into my arms and gave me a big bear hug. It was the first time I felt human touch in a long time. We fell asleep not too long after with the plushies in our hands.
The first thing I heard was a ‘bang’ or a ‘thud’ that shot me wide awake. I can only assume that the noise means it's morning time. I rubbed my watery eyes and let out a deep yawn before looking over to my side. Sola was already gone, so I left the room.
Turns out, the excessive noise was coming from the many guests that were running up and down the stairs. The previously empty lobby hall was now filled to the brim with dozens of people. I could make out Sola sitting at the clay welcome desk, so I walked over towards her.
“Hey, did you sleep well?” she asked. “I’ll start preparing breakfast in another twenty or so minutes. Sit tight till then!”
“Sounds good!” I replied.
So not only does she run this place, but she also prepares the food for all these people. She’s quite a hard worker.
“Man, I’m so hungry!” one of the guests started, catching my attention.
He was in a group with three other guys. They all look intimidating.
“You can say that again,” another one grumbled. “That annoying pipsqueak should really consider hiring more people.”
“She can’t!” one laughed. “This place is dirt poor and barely able to keep itself afloat!”
The whole group burst out in laughter as I gritted my teeth. They’re definitely talking about Sola, and I don’t like what they're saying. But I can't say anything. I don’t want any needless problems.
After a frustrating couple of minutes of hearing people complaining, Sola finally scurried off the clay welcome desk towards a door on the opposite side of the building from her room. She pushed it open with some effort, panting when she finished the whole ordeal.
“Right this way, everyone!” she cheered. “Breakfast will be out shortly!”
We gathered like ants into a modestly sized dining hall. The room was similar to the Onsen bath, with beautiful artistic scriptures lining the white walls. Its interior was made up of more than a dozen long wooden tables with white bowls set up along them. I made my way through the crowd and sat at one of the seats. I looked at my bowl, which turned out to be empty.
“Haha, you gotta wait!”
I looked up. A red-headed man with a long ponytail and mustache was grinning at me.
“Sola will come around with her ‘special soup’ in just a moment,” he spoke again. “She goes quite slow, but it's honest work from her end.”
“Special soup?” I asked.
“Yup!” he laughed. “Sola’s special soup or ‘triple S’ as the regulars call it. Oh yeah, my name is Bryan. Nice to meet you.”
“Shi,” I stuck out a hand and gestured for him to take it. He shook it firmly.
Bryan told me all about Somnus as Sola came around with the soup. Apparently, this place is super old and was founded sometime eight hundred years ago. No one knows what happened to the previous owner, but Sola took charge thirty years ago, and it has been that way ever since. (Wait… that means Sola is older than me?)
The soup was nothing to die for. It was a typical tomato soup lightly garnished with fresh green basil. I would’ve preferred some of Snake-Sama’s cooking instead, but this still went down right.
“Shi, right?” Bryan gulped down what little remained of his soup and let out a big burp. “What do you plan to do now?”
“I'm going to the town square.”
“Town square, eh? What for?”
“I heard Julius Caesar will be presenting a speech at noon on how to leave Limbo. I want to join in, so I’m gonna check it out.”
Bryan placed down his bowl with a thud as his eyes widened.
“You’re trying to leave?”
“Yea? Why?” I protested. I don’t want another rant like with Plato.
“Ah, no reason. I’m actually part of Caesar’s expedition team, is all. It’s not often you meet other people who want to venture beyond Limbo.”
“Really?” I shot up from my seat. “Can you take me there?”
“Of course, of course,” he waved excessively. “Relax though people are still trying to eat. Don’t draw too much attention.”
“Right, sorry.”
This is a great opportunity. I don’t know why they have been struggling to leave Limbo, but if my thesis is correct, I may know how to navigate out with little to no problems. All I need to do is have an opportunity to speak with the Julius Caesar.
“No problem,” Bryan chuckled. “Alright then, why don’t we head to the town square?”
